Another Meddlesome Job
by Hydra no Mago
Summary: "Remix Hair and Tattoo Salon?" Nyanko-sensei nodded. "It's got the best spa in town!" Natsume agrees to take Nyanko-sensei to a new salon in town, but the person he meets there is very eccentric. OCXNatsume
1. Chapter 1

**Another Meddlesome Job**

**Chapter 1~**

"Oi! Oi! Are you listening, Natsume?!" shouted the pudgy-pawed maneki neko from his spot.

"Ah, sorry, what did you say, Nyanko-sensei?" Natsume rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He was supposed to be studying for his English quiz, but he couldn't seem to concentrate. Besides, he never really understood the English Language. Too many rules, too many pronunciations. Some distraction, any distraction from Nyanko-sensei at this point was more than welcome.

The orange, black and white maneki neko huffed angrily at the sandy-haired youth. "Mou... you never listen to me, air-headed Natsume!" shouted the cat which earned him a punch on the head. Nyanko-sensei rubbed his injured spot tenderly. "That hurt, dammit Natsume!"

"Whoops~ Sorry about that Nyanko-sensei! It was a reflex!" said Natsume while holding up a balled fist. With the snobbish smirk on the youth's face, anyone could tell that the smile was fake. "What were you about to say?"

Even the great Nyanko-sensei knew when to back off when Natsume was threatening. "I said, it's been really quiet lately, after that Matoba fiasco."

Matoba. Natsume didn't hate him as much as he used to, probably due to his wide understanding of humans and ayakashis. Meeting up with Matoba at some secluded place was an eye-opener for him though, for he learnt that everyone had a past, regardless of how cruel they may seem now. "You're right..." was the boy's answer.

Not dispirited by the solemn tone of the youth's voice, Nyanko-sensei carried on. "Sou, sou! It has been too quiet! Like the calm before a storm!" He swung his paws in the air while rolling on the floor. "Natsume! You have to make an offering! Gimme a bottle of sake and some fried squid before disaster strikes!'

A swift punch was landed.

"Don't joke around, Nyanko-sensei!" Despite his chiding tone, a small smile crept onto Natsume's lips.

_Mission accomplished. _Although he may not be the doting type, Nyanko-sensei actually cared a lot for Natsume. _Keeping the boy happy is a difficult task, Reiko. _"Ne, Natsume! Your hair's getting long again! Shouldn't you go get it cut?"

Natsume fingered his sandy locks. "Oh, you're right." His bangs were growing out again, like the time he kept it long to hide his face in middle school. He drew out a long sigh. "Ah, my hair gets long too quickly!"

"Isshn't zat gwood?" Nyanko-sensei munched on a manjuu. "You don't have to be bald."

Natsume squinted his eyes. "It's not convenient for me or my wallet, and where'd you get that manjuu?"

Nyanko-sensei looked to the pointed finger as he swallowed up the delicacy. "What manjuu?" he asked innocently. Before Natsume could retort, the maneki neko tossed a newspaper in his face.

"Wha-? Hey!" shouted Natsume angrily, fist balled up in preparation to discipline the cat. "What do you think you're doing, Nyanko-sensei?!"

Unfazed, the maneki neko pushed himself up on his hind paws and flipped the newspaper somewhat eagerly. "Here, Natsume!" he said as his paw was situated on an article.

Natsume blinked a few times. "Re-...mix... hair... and tattoo...salon?" came the boy's confused voice. His brows furrowed and a pensive look settled on his face. "What's this, Nyanko-sensei?"

The cat was extremely pleased with himself. "This," he said pointing his paw "is where you can go to get your hair cut!"

"Eh? Why do I need to travel all the way there?" asked Natsume with Nyanko-sensei in his lap.

The cat huffed once more. "Look at all those reviews, Natsume! Just look at them! This has to be one of the best places in town!"

Natsume was skeptical as he scanned the page. The place not only offered a hairstyling salon, there was a tattoo parlour, a mini-cafe and a spa centre. _So that's what Nyanko-sensei was after... _"You, want to visit the spa, Nyanko-sensei?"

Instead of pretending not to know what Natsume was talking about and being a tsundere, surprisingly he answered with a loud: "YES!" which scared Natsume. "Think about it Natsume, a spa! I mean, how many places could you find that would have a spa in this small town?!"

Unable to restrain himself, Natsume let out a muffled laugh at his cat's cute antics. "Okay, okay, I get it. Let's go after I tell Touka-san about it."

"Hoorah!" yelled the cat as he jumped off Natsume's lap with lightning speed and headed to the front door.

As Natsume tore and folded the newspaper article into his pocket, he wondered aloud. "Would they let animals use the spa?"

* * *

**I know, I know, I've been AWOL for so long it's not even funny.  
My excuse? None. Just that I was quite bored with writing stories for a while in my hectic schedule. **

**Well anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this story! I sincerely thank all those who still come to read my stories, even if I have been quite the irresponsible writer.**

**PS: I'll start to continue my other Natsume Yuujinchou story, "A Summer With You" soon enough!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2~**

Natsume drew a deep breath. "Nyanko-sensei, you're getting heavier. Haven't you lost weight yet?"

The maneki neko trashed inside Natsume's tote bag. "Impudent child! I'm not heavy at all! I'm just round and fluffy that's all!" He kicked and tossed and turned wildly, miffed that Natsume commented on his weight.

The sandy-haired boy sighed nosily. Nyanko-sensei was supposed to be his guard, but most of the time it felt like the other way around. On the way to the hair salon, Natsume had encountered plenty of ayakashi, but the cat in his bag did nothing at all. The running and the cat's weight was beginning to take a toll on his stamina levels. He hoped that the salon wasn't much further.

As they finally reached their destination, a shop located just before an alleyway, Natsume was more than relieved. The shop itself was just like any other hair styling salon, with a slight twist. There were potted money plants at the front entrance with a red carpet bearing the word 'WELCOME' on it. The door was made of tinted glass framed by golden coloured metal designs of vines and wings. On the right of the tinted doors was, what Natsume guessed, the shop's logo. It was a picture of a pair of headphones in white and pink frames. There was a red trailing wire and the words 'REMIX HAIR AND TATTOO SALON' were emblazoned at the centre of the headphones in a sharp cyan blue.

"Looks like it's open, Natsume." came Nyanko-sensei's voice from the bag as his pudgy paw pointed at the 'We Are Open' sign hanging from the brass handle of the door. "Let's head in!"

Natsume sighed and begrudgingly compiled to his cat's request. The jingling of bells was heard as Natsume pushed the tinted door open, only to be amazed at what he saw.

Right across where he stood was the reception desk with the name of the shop printed in front of a powder blue background. The walls were a cream white filled with posters, information of the shop, some newspaper and magazine articles which featured the place and several photo frames of modern art. A lone pot of hydrangeas stood at the window sill, greeting the customers with its vibrant hues of purple, violet, blue, yellow and white. The floor was of deep blue marble and had a totally white-wired version of the shop's logo in the middle of it.

"Irrashaimase!" Natsume snapped out of his stupor at the new voice. A pretty girl who worked as the receptionist was waving him over. "Good morning, valued customer! Which of our services would you like to pick today?" The girl wore a plain white shirt with a black ribbon tied around her neck. Her brown hair was braided to the side and she had the sweetest smile on her face. Natsume squinted his eyes. Her nametag read 'Yamaguchi'.

"Ah, actually, I'm looking for a haircut." said Natsume as he pointed to his overgrown bangs. 'Yamaguchi' nodded at Natsume's voice. She began to scribble something in her logbook in quick strokes.

"May I please get your name sir?" was her polite request.

Natsume inclined his head slightly. "It's Natsume. Natsume Takashi." Technically, Natsume had always been quite uneasy about giving away his name. Who knows what ayakashi might come after him?

Yamaguchi finished up whatever she was writing. "Alright, will that be all, Mr. Natsume?"

At her words, Natsume remembered about his maneki neko, who was unusually quiet. "Ah, actually, can you give this guy a spa?" Natsume pulled a sleepy Nyanko-sensei out of his bag. The cat yawned loudly.

"Wow! What a cutie~!" squealed the receptionist in a hushed voice. "Where did you get that cute cat?"

The youth was momentarily awestruck. Other than his friend Taki, no one on their right minds would say that Nyanko-sensei is cute. No one. _Well, this adds another to the list. _

"So... is it possible for this cat to get a spa?" Yamaguchi stopped trying to poke Nyanko-sensei's cheek and refocused all her attention to Natsume. "I-It's a...crazy request...I know! B-b-but..I-I.. was just wondering,... you know...?" The youth awkwardly tried to laugh as he scratched the back of his head. Seriously, what possessed him to think that any place would let a cat in for a spa? A cat, for a spa! The very idea was ridiculous!

Instead of laughing her guts out or chiding Natsume for being such a stupid child, Yamaguchi smiled warmly at him. "I'll have to ask our owner for permission, but I don't think he'll reject the idea."

A heavy burden was suddenly lifted off Natsume's shoulders.

"After all, our owner loves cats! I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much." She proceeded to dial a number into her pager. "Still, you must really love your cat! To want to give him a spa!" At that she giggled.

A slight blush formed on Natsume's face and all he could say was "Ah..."

The phone at the counter rang, a shrill noise which pierced the peacefulness of the area. As Yamaguchi answered the call, Natsume took the opportunity to look around. There was a waiting area at his right, sea-blue low sofas with a steely white coffee table. Some other customers occupied the seats. A stack of magazines on hairstyling and tattoos were present on a white shelf.

Nyanko-sensei groaned. "Nyanko-sensei, what's wrong?" came Natsume's hushed voice. The cat had been acting out of character since they got here.

Nyanko-sensei rolled in Natsume's arms. "Feeling tired. There seems to be a barrier erected around here, be careful Natsume."

"Mr. Natsume?" came Yamaguchi's cheerful voice. "I asked our owner and he gave the okay!" She handed Natsume a piece of paper with a number on it. "Here's the spa number for your cat. You can come claim him once you're done."

Natsume took the paper into his somewhat trembling fingers. There was a barrier around here. Were there many ayakashis? No, he didn't see too many when he was outside the shop. So why was there a need to erect a barrier, and who would make one in the first place?

As the thoughts whirred in his mind non-stop, Nyanko-sensei mewed noisily. Natsume looked to his cat who was sitting snugly in his arms. The maneki neko nodded, a sign that it was going to be fine.

"Mm, thank you very much." said Natsume. He was still skeptical, but not as much as earlier.

Yamaguchi smiled warmly at him. "Here, let me get your cat for you."

Natsume passed a huge lump of fur to Yamaguchi and she accepted it rather gratefully.

Nyanko-sensei fidgeted in yamaguchi's arms. "I'll take your cat in, so rest assured, he's in safe hands!"

"Thank you."

"For now, please head to your right. The hairstyling ward is there. Sit anywhere you like, don't hesitate! As for your cat, I'm gonna take him to the back, where the spas are, okay?"

Natsume nodded. This Yamaguchi person was sweet and nice indeed. "Thank you very much."

She waved his comment off. "Don't mention it at all, Mr. Natsume."

With a final warning to Nyanko-sensei asking him to behave, Natsume headed towards the right wing.

* * *

**Going a little fast with this story, since it has got no solid plot.  
Thank you for reading! Please look forward to the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ~**

Lavish and luxurious. That was what the place looked like.

Natsume stood in slight awe at the simple yet beautiful design of the right wing. Sparkling mirrors and black leather chairs with wheels attached were lined up at the sides of the beige walls. A separate number of mirrors and chairs were located in the middle of the room, around a large pillar engraved with greek monastery patterns. Each station had a small mahogany storage shelf which served as a place to put hair styling equipment or makeup equipment for the separate stations.

All around him, there were people. People bustling with work, people enjoying themselves. He could hear the loud roar of hairdryers and smell the chemicals of hair dye. Makeup powder flitted through the air surrounding the separate tables. At first, he didn't know how big this shop was. Now, now he could get a rough guess.

Tentatively, Natsume edged himself along the walls, careful not to bump into the many hair stylists who were busy attending to their respective clients. Spotting an empty seat, Natsume slowly lowered himself, taking in the sights. Another section dedicated to perms was located to the west of the huge room and some shampoo bowls were located opposite it. As he sat down, Natsume couldn't help but let out a content sigh. The plush leather seats were good. Real good.

He hung his trusty tote bag on a hook at the side of the small shelf and browsed through a magazine while waiting. A lot of hairstyles Natsume saw in the magazine were downright outrageous. One that looked like a bee hive, one that looked like a bird's nest, one that looked like you got shot by lightning, one that looked like you grew a plant on your head. Really, people these days had a weird sense of fashion.

"See anything you like?" came a soft baritone.

For some reason still not understood by Natsume, he felt a slight chill at hearing that sentence being uttered to him. A draft in the room perhaps? The youth turned back to answer whoever was standing there, but was quite tongue-tied.

Messy hair as dark as the night sky tied up, long bangs which did not obstruct a pair of gleaming scarlet, almost lustful, eyes. Pale skin inked with several tattoos on both arms and one on the neck. Silver and black piercings on both ears.

_Gorgeous._

The sandy-haired youth mentally slapped himself at his trivial comment. "Not really." answered Natsume sheepishly.

The man who stood behind him pulled up a task chair. "Heh. Not interested in things like that, huh?"

Natsume noticed that his nails were painted black. "It's kind of bizarre for me."

The man pulled out a rat-tail comb from his tool belt. "Well, you may well be right on that." He held out his hand. "Name's Kouya. And I'll be your hairstylist for today." Was that a smile on his face or a smirk?

Natsume took his hand and shook it. "Hajimemashite. I'm Natsume." Somehow, just a mere touch of his hand was able to send electricity running down the youth's spine.

"Ah, the boy with the cat!" said Kouya as his eyes widened with a hint of recognition. "That's cute you know, bringing your cat here just for a spa." The hairstylist began to inspect Natsume's hair more carefully, sifting his long fingers through Natsume's sandy locks.

A blush formed on Natsume's cheeks, his neck was getting hot due to the embarrassment. "Y-yeah." was all he managed to choke out. Bringing Nyanko-sensei here seemed more and more to be a bad idea. "Guess I'm popular now."

The man called Kouya chuckled lowly and his breath hit Natsume's heated neck, sending shivers wrecking throughout his body. "Don't worry. So far Yamaguchi the receptionist, the people at the spa and myself are the only ones who know." He measured Natsume's bangs with the comb. "Want a trim, right?"

Since when did he started reacting this way to someone else's touch? Maybe he just wasn't used to it. "Ah yes, just a trim." answered Natsume politely. The fingers that ran through his hair earlier were extremely soothing. A small part of him wanted Kouya to continue with it.

Kouya ceremoniously tied a nylon barber cape around the youth's neck. "Not feeling adventurous for a new hairstyle?" asked the tattooed hairstylist.

Natsume shook his head. "No thank you. I think bringing a cat in here is adventurous enough."

This elicited another chuckle from the hairstylist. "Touche, Natsume." Kouya pulled out a pair of thinning scissors and began to cut Natsume's sandy locks. Pieces of hair fell to the floor, creating a heap.

Something clicked in Natsume's head after a while. "Um.. Kouya-san?"

The hairstylist 'hmm'-ed without stopping work.

"Just now, you said that only Yamaguchi-san, the people at the spa and yourself knew about my cat."

"Yes, I did say that." answered the hairstylist as he replaced his thinning scissors with a much sharper pair.

Natsume bowed his head a little to ease Kouya's work. "I'm just guessing here, but does that mean you're the owner?"

The cutting of hair stopped briefly as Kouya held up his hand. "Bingo, Natsume-kun~"

_When did we get so close? _Then again, Natsume was quite surprised that the owner was someone as young as Kouya. He imagined the owner to be some really old and rich man who wore sunglasses all day and had a golden tooth. "It's amazing, this shop."

"Why, thank you, Natsume-kun. It's my pride and joy after all." With that, Kouya resumed his work of cutting away at sandy locks.

A brief silence fell over the pair. The sounds of Kouya snipping away with his scissors was the only thing that spoke for a while. Natsume tried to keep himself calm and steady, but was finding a hard time doing it. He felt quite flustered every time Kouya accidentally brushed his ear or when he could feel the older male's steady breath on the back of his neck. _There is something wrong with me. I'll stop by at the clinic later and check if I have a fever. _

He wanted to say something, anything to distract himself. His mind however, was not cooperating and drew a blank. Not for the last time that day, Natsume wondered what was wrong with him.

Noticing his client's unnatural tension, Kouya spoke up. "Reminds me, I hope your cat is having fun, Natsume-kun."

"Mm,... yes, I hope so..." came the uneasy reply. Natsume wrung his hands together under the piece of cloth. "My cat is quite the connoisseur when it comes to relaxing."

Kouya stopped snipping off bits of hair. He grabbed a bottle of water and pumped the back strands of Natsume's hair, wetting them. "Hnn... Your cat sounds more like a human." He continued trimming the back strands of hair as well.

Natsume cracked a small smile. "I suppose you're right."

For a moment, Kouya's fingers hesitated. Then they resumed work with rhythm. "It looks like you can be cute when you want to, Natsume-kun~" said the hairstylist in a teasing tone.

Natsume's face felt even hotter. "Eh?! No.. it's! Um.. It's-uh!' he stammered awkwardly. His hands were held up in a defensive position and his embarrassment levels were hitting the breaking point.

"Haha~ Cute one you are~" Kouya seemed to be totally unfazed by Natsume's actions, only continuing to do his work.

After a few seconds more of trying to hide his head in the ground like an ostrich so that he wouldn't have to look into his hairstylist's piercing, scarlet eyes, Natsume mumbled an almost inaudible 'Thank you'.

Kouya's ears were sharp enough to pick up on the sentence and he smiled smugly to himself. He doesn't always tease his clients, but when he does, he loves to see the cute expressions they will make. _And Natsume-kun is the cutest of them all. _

"Bow please." Kouya said to Natsume as his fingers which held the boy's head gently pushed him forward. He picked up the hairdryer at the side of the shelf and fitted in a nozzle. A loud whirring began when Kouya flicked the switch and Natsume could feel his hair flying. He kept his eyes closed as the hairdryer continued to spout hot air into his face.

The sounds and hot air died down when Kouya flipped the switch once more, returning it to its original place. Natsume opened his previously sealed eyes, feeling the cool air of the air-conditioning hit him in full force. The tattooed hairstylist ran his fingers through his client's hair to sort them out. Using a regular precision comb, Kouya managed to tame Natsume's wind-blown hair into something presentable.

"There, that should do it." Kouya held out a set of mirrors behind Natsume's head so that he could see the reflection in the mirror.

All Natsume could really concentrate on was a pair of glowing scarlet eyes. "It looks great, thank you Kouya-san."

The hairstylist dusted off any stray hairs as he removed the nylon barber cape from Natsume's neck. Giving his client's hair a final check, he nodded to himself.

Natsume got up from the chair and stretched his legs. As expected, he was not used to sitting in one position for too long. Grabbing his tote bag, he made to leave for the cashier.

"Ah, Natsume-kun." called Kouya.

"Yes?"

The smirk on his face this time was unmistakable. "Wanna check out the tattoo parlour?" he jabbed his thumb towards the other end of the shop.

Natsume was taken aback. "Eh? Me?" he asked pointing to himself. Why would the owner of the shop, someone he just met, offer to take him on a tour?

"There isn't anyone else." replied the tattooed hairstylist nonchalantly. "Come on, your cat's probably not done anyway. Do you really want to be stuck in the waiting room during that time?"

The sandy-haired youth contempalated the thought. "I suppose not..."

"Good." With that, Kouya removed his tool kit from his waist and told a pretty young blonde, who Natsume supposed was in charge of overlooking the area, that he would be unavailable for a while. She nodded and took the kit away from Kouya.

"Shall we, Natsume-kun?"

Natsume wondered when Nyanko-sensei would be done. "We shall."

* * *

**This chapter was difficult to type in all honesty. I didn't know a single thing about hairstyling, but I think I got the drift. **

**Thank you all for reading as always! I hope that you have enjoyed this story!**

**Please look forward to the next chapter. **


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